The five-axis head rotates the saw blade around the workpiece so that miter cuts can be made at virtually any combination of angles.

One of the unusual operations that the PBZ NT five-axis machining center can perform is sawing with a blade as much as 20 inches in diameter. This machine is marketed in the United States by Handtmann CNC Technologies in East Dundee, Illinois. It is designed for long, narrow workpieces. In aerospace applications, these include rails, stringers, stringer couplings and seat anchorage runners. Aluminum extrusions and folded sheet metal fabrications can be machined for architectural applications such as components for curtain wall systems.

When mounted in the five-axis machining head, the saw can make straight cuts or angled miter cuts and compound miter cuts. Because the saw can be manipulated in five axes, it can cut from either or both sides of the workpiece. The saw can make multiple cuts to form intricate notches. It can also serve as a cutoff tool. With the proper blade and appropriate cutting speeds, sawing can be performed on aluminum, steel and other materials such as composites and plastics.

The machine’s work zone is 12 inches high, 16 inches wide and as long as 45 feet. Modular construction allows bed length to be configured for the application. The workholding system features a series of programmable clamps that release the workpiece on command so that it can be lifted and repositioned. This prevents interference between the clamps and the machining head. Drilling, slotting, milling, tapping, notching and cutoff can be done in one setup, completing operations to all four sides of the workpiece and to the ends. An inverted tooling extension allows milling and other operations to be performed to the underside of the workpiece.

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